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A lot of attention in the mainstream media (and popular culture) gets focused on lawyers working in large firms (often referred to as “BigLaw”). But only about 10% of law grads—roughly 4,000 out of the 40,000 who graduated law school in 2015—enter jobs in the very large law firms (those with 500...

What you’re looking for in a law school depends largely on your career goals—why do you want to be a lawyer in the first place? But it also depends on a number of other personal factors, including geographic preferences, intellectual interests, and desired learning environment. The...

Law firms can be either regional or local in their reach, or national or even global. Much depends on the size of the firm, the area(s) of law in which they practice, and the nature of their clients’ industries and needs. Lawyers who work interstate or internationally must...

A great many UMass Amherst students considering legal careers don’t know any lawyers personally—none in the family, no family friends, really no one to connect with in the field in order to learn more about the profession.
A great many lawyers who are alumni of UMass Amherst...

A substantial portion of individuals in elected office have law degrees – for example, roughly one-third of members of Congress went to law school. As well, many high-ranking elected and appointed officials within the executive branch (at both the state and federal level) are lawyers, and, of course, nearly 100% of...

Why are you thinking about law school? The most common reasons I hear are some variation of the following:
I like to argue.
I took Constitutional Law/Legal 250/Civil Liberties/etc. and it was mind-blowing.
Law is so fascinating.
I want a reliable, interesting job.
I want to make...

The law schools have made their decisions; now it’s up to you to decide which offer of admission to accept. How do you decide between the prestigious school that offered you no scholarship, and the somewhat less prestigious one that offered you a free ride? Or between the...

Almost all professors in law schools have a law degree. Traditionally, this was the only academic credential necessary for teaching in law schools, but in the last decade or so, a growing percentage of law professors have PhDs in addition to or instead of JDs—about 25% of professors at...

Individuals without law degrees who work in law-related careers generally either work as paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries, and/or in any of a number of positions in the criminal justice fields. There are also a number of law-related career paths for social work and mental health professionals in...

These pages outline only the very barest of information about legal careers. There are three basic ways to find out more, listed here in declining order of helpfulness:work in one or more law offices,
talk to practicing attorneys, and
read more detailed descriptions of legal careers.
Remember, this...